Blood is Innocent
by Darknessr1sing
Summary: My first writing. Basically a "what if" story. After reading the books and seeing the movie, i randomly thought up the initial idea for this story. What if there was a group of people the government knew nothing about, and they lived outside government boundaries to stand against their rule. It starts out as a separate story. but the stories collide at the reaping. just for fun.
1. Prologue

The Hunger Games: Blood is Innocent

PROLOGUE

Blood. That was what his life had been composed of. Altari Raenur, a young man of seventeen, was used to it. He was raised outside of the known government districts, a part of a clan that planned to one day end the brutal slaughter known as the Hunger Games, a contest of survival, and sacrifice. This contest was declared law by the government after the first uprising. When peace was finally restored. The government decided to show off their power and that they had total control of the twelve districts by randomly drafting a boy and girl ages 12-18 to participate in a fight to the death with each other. Out of the 24 innocent lives that are chosen, in the end one remains standing. The drafting process known formally as the Reaping, was soon to begin for this years slaughter. This clan was the only group of people that the government did not know anything about, or that they even existed. They had lived in secrecy ever since the uprising. Trained as a scout, Altari was often sent to explore and gain a view on the surrounding area, as the clan was constantly moving to avoid detection. He was also proficient with a blade, he had demonstrated this ability when a few of the government soldiers, known as the Peacekeepers wandered a little too close to his position. He made short work of them. He remembers the blood, and the fear that they displayed. While he knows that they would have certainly brutally interrogated him about where he came from and what he was doing so far away from district boundaries, also the fact that they have more blood on their hands then he ever will, he still refrains from forgiving the blood he himself had spilled. He wanted nothing more than to do something. He wanted the suffering and bloodshed to end.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"How many times are you going to re-sharpen that thing?" said Aaron Veild, suggesting towards Altari's modified broadsword. "As many times as I need to, what I'm doing right here may very well save your life one day" Altari retorted sarcastically. Aaron Veild had been Altari's best friend as long as he could remember. Aaron was also an apprentice to Altari, he was learning everything Altari knew about scouting from him. They were in charge of finding food and water for the clan. "Or it could get you killed" Aaron remarked. The two of them spent a long thirty seconds staring at each other before they both laughed.

From the inside of the tent they shared they could hear the other clan members talking amongst themselves. And they heard what sounded like the end of a very heated discussion walking by the tent. "But, Larieth, Sir! We need time to organize the clan if that is sure to happen this year!" a very stern but caring voice answered back, "we cannot risk it, the government is smart, and that would surely compromise the clan, not to mention the lives of everyone here."

Larieth Korr was the leader of the clan. He was the only man that Altari trusted more than himself. He is a caring man, but he does what is needed. The last thing that came out of Larieth's mouth before he was out of earshot was "trust me".

"I am now very curious as to what that was about" said Aaron. Altari, looking down at his boots, was getting a very sick feeling about what he just heard. "you alright?" Aaron asked. "Yea, I'll be fine, Its everyone else I'm worried about."

he pulled his hooded tunic off the tents middle support bar, and began to gear up. "Where you going?" Aaron asked. "I need you to stay here, and keep this on you at all times" Altari threw a Sheathed hunting knife to him. "If anything happens, don't look for me, I want you to get out of here as fast as you can, and don't come back for any reason." "What the hell?" Aaron said wanting to know what his mentor and friend was trying to tell him. Altari only replied with "trust me, I've never steered you wrong."

they nodded at each other in understanding before Altari started off. Altari knew something was wrong, he had a strange way of knowing when something bad was going to happen. He hated this. He never could tell if he was just smart, or if he was gifted in some way.

As he walked through the camp, everyone was calm, chatting amongst themselves. He was looking for the clan leader, and he was looking for answers. He was nowhere to be found, which was very strange, he was usually watching over the clan from his tent on an overlook, and he wasn't there.

The night air was very still, and something definitely wasn't right. There was a faint light in the distance. Altari exited the camp and headed towards the light. It seemed unnatural, and it wasn't a fire of any kind. He walked towards the light, pushing aside tree branches and brush as he went. He heard the faint sound of voices, although he could not make out the words. He could usually tell who it was, he heard two voices he didn't recognize in the least. And then he heard a familiar voice. "That sounds a lot like the clan leader" he thought to himself.

When he had gotten close enough to see faces, he confirmed that Larieth was indeed there. He also was shocked to see that the other two men that were present, were armored head to toe in a white uniform. His heart dropped, because he then knew that the government soldiers had found him. He looked a little closer to find that Larieth was tied down to a post, and that the soldiers were interrogating him.

He looked at the soldiers hands and found that they weren't carrying military grade weapons. One of them was carrying a metal bar of some kind and the other had a knife. The soldier on the right was pacing very impatiently, like he was waiting for a response. He started to yell at Larieth in an attempt to intimidate him. Altari heard Larieth's response very clear. "Go to hell…" he said. Five seconds later the soldier brought the bar down on Larieth's face, with a swing that shattered his skull. Then the soldier threw the blood spattered piece of metal to the ground next to him. The second soldier, as if to add some dramatic affect, jammed the small knife into Larieth's chest.

Altari desperately was trying to wake himself up. He was so certain that what he just witnessed wasn't happening. As the peacekeepers were leaving the scene, Altari found a good sized stone, and threw it at the spotlight that was lighting the clearing. Shattering it, the area went dark, the soldiers were startled, and blind to the darkness. Altari could see the white of their uniforms even in the darkness. Altari threw his hood up over his straight black hair, and drew his broadsword. "What was that?" one of the soldiers said startled. The second soldier tripped over a stray branch and was struggling to get up. "We cant see, something took out our spotlight!" He yelled. A static sounding voice replied over their communicator. "Get out of there ASAP. We found what we were looking for. The camp is in ruins, The Capitol is going to be very happy, we may even be commended by the president himself!" "Copy that sir, we will find our way back. Don't start the party without us!" the soldier replied.

Altari's adrenaline was out of control. And he charged at the soldiers with his blade. "What the hell?" were the soldiers last words before being slashed down the chest and being sent sprawling onto the ground in searing pain. The second soldier was without a weapon and tried to tackle his attacker, Altari threw him to the ground, and stabbed the soldier through the chest. As he pulled his sword out, he tried to wipe the blood off his hands and face. His heart hung heavy in his chest, and he was trying not to let the tears fall from his eyes. It proved incredibly difficult. He had wanted to do something, and now was his chance.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Altari ran back to the camp as fast as he possibly could. When he arrived, the sight made the breath leave his body, he was already feeling lightheaded. Each step he took through the camp got heavier and heavier until the ground beneath his feet left him. The last thing he heard was the sound of his body hitting the ground.

In his unconsciousness he felt like the ground beneath his body was falling away, until he was eventually floating in a dark, seemingly endless abyss. The key points of his life were all coming together at once, he saw pictures of his mother, and the man who brutally killed her. He heard something calling out to him. His name was repeated in an endless echo, yet it wasn't something he heard. He felt it. It clawed on to his very existence in an attempt to tell him something. He saw fire, and the thousands of people that were consumed by it. He saw the faces of every person in his life, role being large or small. He saw them all burn away, out of existence, like they were never there to begin with. Then came the voice, it was like a subtle cry for help, but the source unaware. The call for help wasn't even within the confines of his own mind, it was that of another being. He saw the shadow of what looked like a young girl, she was the most beautiful sight he had seen in forever. He saw what was in her conscious spirit, the world was unkind and cruel to her, yet she was kindhearted, and cared for others. Then he felt like he was no longer floating, but falling. So was she, but she was falling with the weight of the world on her shoulders, in an instant she burst into flames. And he no longer felt her presence, he then felt himself hit the ground.

His eyes opened, and he jumped up, realizing he had come back to reality. He felt as if he had just been hit with a boulder. He painfully got up. It was daylight now, and he was lucky that the peacekeepers didn't see him lying there.

The camp was no longer burning, but reduced to ashes. He thought to himself, "I must have hit my head hard to be having visions like that." He walked towards the remains of his tent and over several bodies. He recognized almost every one of them. All with faces of absolute terror. The women and children were dead too. "Why? What could they possibly gain from killing them?" A wave of anger and hatred washed away his common sense, then he remembered his training. He remembered hearing "An angry mind is a narrow mind." He didn't remember where. When he reached his tent, he realized that Aaron must still be alive because his body wasn't among the rest. Altari knew that he taught him well, and that this would be an ultimate test of his skill. He was smart.

Nothing remained standing, and the only other thing around besides the ashes were bodies. He realized that if Aaron was still alive that he must have went east to the nearest settlement which resides within one of the government districts, District Twelve.

Altari Knew that this years draft for the Hunger Games was going to happen within the next day. Aaron's plan most likely involved going to get supplies in the town while everyone was at the reaping.

The soldiers would probably be too busy to pay attention, and plus they would assume that everyone in the town was within their sight at the reaping. "Good thinking Aaron, I guess I might have the chance to save your life after all" he chuckled to himself at the thought. He knew that if Aaron was with him he would have had some smartass remark to reply with. He grabbed a few of the remaining food rations, and a canteen full of water from the rubble before setting off.

He walked all day, and he was glad he decided to stop when he did. He didn't want another incident like what had happened with the visions back at the camp. He laid down under a rather large tree in a spot that had obvious signs that someone had been there the night before. Etched in the tree was a message, "Altari, If you are reading this, I have gone to district twelve to for supplies. Everyone will be busy with the reaping tomorrow, so good timing indeed. With luck I will see you there tomorrow." "You crazy bastard." Altari thought to himself. He would be within government boundaries within 24 hours. He knew that neither himself or Aaron were capable of taking out an armada of government peacekeepers, so he had to get there before it was too late. Although if they were to go down, together they would probably take at least fifty of them down with them. If that doesn't send a message, what would?


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The journey to district twelve was shorter than he expected, he had never seen the boundary, much less tried to get past it. The forest was getting very dense, and he kept having to hack at branches with his sword. He came to what looked to him like a low security electric fence, and there was a gap in between two of the wires and a small path, that told him someone had been defying the government and leaving the boundary, "Its good to see that some people want change, and are willing to risk their lives for it, whoever you are, I salute you." He kicked something that was leaning against one of the trees as he got closer to the fence. He thought it was just a stray branch, but then realized that he had kicked a bow that someone had stashed there. "someone has to bring these poor people food." he quickly put it back where it was.

"This thing must not even be on half the time" Altari thought, looking at the gap in the fence. He quietly slipped through it. The settlement was about half a kilometer away from the looks of it. When he got to the town, he noticed that there was no one in sight. "Everyone must be at the reaping already" He heard a loud Voice, obviously being spoken through a microphone. He threw his hood up, and walked towards the sound.

He noticed the large mass of people and knew that this must be the reaping. These people looked worn. And like they had never seen sunlight. He managed to slip into the crowd quietly, and gently pushing people out of the way. He looked up where the pedestal was to see who the announcer was. "That is one strange looking lady" was his first thought.

This lady was showing the crowd a video on the Hunger Games, how it got started, and how it works. "Oh, its not like these people need to know that you are psychotic killers, I'm pretty sure they already know that" he thought. Then he heard the lady speak, "I absolutely love that. It gets me every time." she said. The crowd lay silent. Altari could sense the crowds tension and anger towards the government. "Alright, it is now time to choose one boy, and one girl to participate in this glorious event. In all common courtesy, ladies first." Altari was getting anxious just thinking about this whole thing. That feeling he always got when something was about to happen, was hitting him with tremendous strength. He felt like he was going to fall over, but he stood his ground.

The lady walked over to a small pillar that had a glass bowl with folded papers in it. He knew that this must be how they figure out who goes. Altari sensed the crowd tension was rising to a boiling point, but nothing happened. He knew that was because of the battalion of soldiers that were lining the whole place. She pulled a random name from the bowl. Altari had a strange flashback to his vision at the camp. It was overwhelming. He was still looking at the pedestal and the announcer. But he felt a familiar presence, the same presence he felt in his vision, only stronger.

For a moment the sound of the announcer was drowned out, and all he heard was the ringing in his ears. Time itself seemed to slow down, and when it sped up, he heard screaming. A young blond girl was screaming at four of the soldiers that were taking someone else away. Obviously it was someone close to her. For a moment his consciousness reached out unknowingly. He felt like he knew this girl from somewhere. Somehow he was able to feel exactly what she was feeling, as she was being led up the stairs to the pedestal. He felt her fear, and her selflessness. And then he realized what had just happened. She just sacrificed herself so the other girl didn't have to go. "Its her…" he thought. "She was in my vision and her subconscious reached out. To me? Why?" Altari's head was spinning.

They had also announced the male tribute. The two tributes exchanged hardened looks at each other before being led off. A noise erupted from somewhere that halted everyone. It sounded like someone had just been killed. "Aaron…." he thought. "he must have been compromised." The crowd struggled to find where the noise was coming from, and the peacekeepers readied their pikes. They all went off in formation to find the source.

The soldiers started yelling at each other, "Davis is down!" "Get a medical crew down here now!" Altari started to weave his way through the panic stricken crowd, he took a second to gaze up at the tributes, the young girl's eyes met his for a brief second.

He started with a fast walk, and eventually broke into a full sprint towards the soldiers and drew his sword. "Who is this guy?" one of the soldiers yelled. Altari yelled back mockingly "I don't know but here comes another one!" as he sprinted towards them. One of the soldiers turned in time to swing his pike, and Altari nimbly fell back and slid under the attack and slashed at the soldiers chest. Another soldier seeing his fallen comrade came after him full force. Altari flipped over the attacker slitting his throat as he did it. He rolled onto the ground as he hit it again. One of the soldiers swung at him, only for him to dodge it, and cause the soldiers pike to land on another soldiers head killing him.

Aaron was apparently pinned in one of the buildings. When Altari reached the building, a lot of the soldiers were dead or dying from Aaron's attacks. Altari rushed into the small building only to see the soldier run his pike right through his brothers chest. He was too late. Altari lashed out at the assailant and ran his own blade through the back of the soldiers neck.

He ran to Aaron as if to save him. "You are all that's left, Altari…. You… you cant let these bastards take them…" Aaron spoke softly. "Who are you talking about? You're talking nonsense again, we have to get out of here!" Altari said out of breath. "This years tributes…. You can't stop them from taking the other districts tributes… but as long as you get those two out of here…. And keep them safe… with your life… that will cause a rift in the governments stability, and that will give the rest of the people the salvation they need to strike back…. The blood… it.. Has to stop…" Aaron's presence was then gone. Altari softly shut his dead brother's eyes. "Rest well brother… You will be avenged…"

When he got up more soldiers were storming into the building. "On the ground now!" one of them yelled. He did as they told, and got facedown. They handcuffed him and lifted him up. There was nothing he could do. "Identify yourself!" "It's not polite to ask for names when the other person doesn't know yours." Altari retorted.

Altari was then lead back out to where the reaping was taking place. They tore the hood off his head. He was instantly blinded by a spotlight. He felt one of the soldiers tear his sword off his belt. The entire crowd just stared at him. And raised up a hand in some kind of sign of respect and honor. Everyone except the government participated in this.

"What do you have to say for yourself young man?" the lady with the microphone called to him. He replied with "Who in the hell is the crazy bastard that designed your clothes lady?" The lady then replied "you are a feisty young one, full of fire.. I like that." the lady then as if announcing something. "I think we now have two volunteer tributes, don't you?" The crowd lay silent and still. Altari's gut was telling him to try and run. But his mind said that that wouldn't be such a good idea. "What is your name sir?" The crowd was silent for half a minute. Until he finally gave the crowd what they were waiting for. "My name is Altari Raenur."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Just a second ago he was just someone in the crowd, no one knowing who or what he was. Now he was being thrust into the game of fear and blood that he swore to destroy. Now the world knows who he is. The mysterious hooded figure that appeared out of nowhere and postponed the reaping, Altari Raenur.

As he was being led up to the pedestal with the other tributes, Altari opened his mouth. "I thought there were only supposed to be two tributes from each district, correct me if im wrong." The lady spoke again. "there has been a slight rule change, being that you just slaughtered around sixteen government peacekeepers in front of the entire world, the president wont be very happy with you, and with the display of swordsmanship you just gave us, I'm positive that he would absolutely love to see that display in the arena!"

Altari spoke up again "You are people are very sick and twisted, whatever sick pleasure this government gets from watching innocent blood spilled with the world watching, is pathetic. You don't have power over people if they don't at least agree with you. These people are all individual and have control over themselves, you don't. You certainly don't have any power over someone that is dead! With every life you take you lose more and more control. One day you are going to show up to take more lives away and they are going to take yours in return. As for this young man you drafted as a tribute, let him go! I would much rather me suffer than him! I don't have anything to live for anyways! You take him and you make everyone that he is close to suffer! I have nothing! If you wont let him go than you wont get to see me in your sick game. It is simple, I am in control of the situation, all you have to do is say you are going to take him too. and I will force your pathetic excuses for soldiers to end my life in front of the world! Then you wont have the pleasure of seeing me die in your 'execution'."

"Oh you think we wont kill you? You are mistaken, we should probably just kill you here for mocking us shouldn't we?" One of the soldiers gave a nod to the soldier that was holding him. In that instant the soldier gave him a knee to the stomach putting him on his knees. Altari fought to get back up and a straight arm punch to the face knocked him back down.

"Hey thanks for cuffing me, it reassures me that a real man isn't the one beating me up. You want the people to like you better? At least make it a fair fight, I mean seriously." The soldier stopped for a second to consider it, and moved to un cuff him.

"Don't do it Xaviar!" One of his fellow soldiers yelled to him. "Relax Martin, will ya? Look at him. He's to weak to stand a chance against a pillow!" the soldiers exploded in laughter. The crowd watched nervously. Altari looked at the female tribute and gave a nod of reassurance, as if to tell her and everyone not to worry about him.

The soldier took the cuffs off and jumped back. "I thought I wasn't a threat!" Altari chuckled for a second. "I guess we get another show everyone! Watch as the peacekeepers show their training pay off!" everyone watched as the soldier took a swing at Altari with his pike, He threw himself to the ground in order to dodge the attack. The soldier swung again, but this time landed a direct hit to the head. Altari fell to the ground, and his consciousness slipped away once again.

He didn't have any visions this time. But he felt a machine like humming, and he was reassured that he was still alive. "Its not over" he thought in his subconscious. When he regained consciousness he was laying on some sort of bed. It felt like an actual bed to his surprise.

"Where the hell am I?" He painfully got up and examined his surroundings, he pushed his hair out of his eyes. He took a glance out of the window of the room he was in, and realized that he must be on the train headed to the capitol. He found the door unlocked, and cautiously walked out.

He was greeted by the lady that was on the microphone. "you sleep well?" she asked. "Well if it wasn't for the fact that your soldiers almost killed me I would probably say yes" he replied. "Oh don't take it personal dear, I didn't have the slightest choice in the matter. You can thank the president for that one." she said.

"Well if you don't mind me asking, what happened to the original tributes?" "They decided that it would be bad business indeed if they broke the two tribute rule"

Hours went by as the two tributes stared out the window, unsure of when to say something, and of what to say if they were to say something. Altari was absolutely certain that the presence he felt in the vision was that of the girl he was sitting across the room from. Altari got up to walk around, and examine his surroundings.

He walked down a long narrow hallway, only to find a number of locked doors. He went around the corner and leaned up against the wall, looking down at his boots, as if to pretend it was all just a nightmare. He looked up to the other tribute standing there, looking at him. "if you want to take a picture you have my permission." Altari said jokingly. "Well I would if it wasn't for the simple fact that I don't have a camera." the girl replied. They both kind of chuckled at it for a second. "Well, hey listen. I wanted to say, that was a very brave and selfless move you made." the girl said. "And you did have complete control over them. You saved that young mans life and you didn't even know him." "Well, I know how it feels to lose someone close to you… I mean that young man the soldiers killed.. He was my best friend and brother…" Altari said this with a great weight bearing over him. "I'm very sorry, nothing the government does is right. I mean look where we are headed… and if you don't mind me asking. Where did you both come from, and how did you evade the government to get here?" the girl asked. "Well I guess I owe it to everyone now to tell them. I was a member of a clan that the government had no idea about. We planned to one day stop the Hunger Games from happening. Something my mentor told me once, was 'no matter how bad what someone does is, their blood didn't commit the crime so why spill it' basically it is saying blood is innocent". "That is a very profound way of putting it, I guess, your name is Altari correct?" the girl asked. "Yea, Altari Raenur" "I will remember that." she replied. "You?" he asked. "I'm Katniss Everdeen" she replied.

They were interrupted by long blond haired man that looked to be in his thirties. "Sorry to break up your little therapy session, but we all need to have a little chat session of our own." the man was stumbling around, and it was apparent he had been drinking, heavily.

He leaned in the direction he wanted them to go, and they were led into a room with many tables. "take a seat. Unless you want to stand that is. Completely up to you, but seriously take a seat." the man said, slurring his words together.

When he started to speak again, Altari interrupted him. "Where are we at? I've never been anywhere where it was customary to be plastered on the job." "don't worry about it sonny." the man replied nonchalantly. "Ok then, sorry I offended you" Altari said back. The man quizzically stared at Altari for a while before speaking again. He went on about the games and how to get sponsors so can in essence, survive and what not. It seemed like hours. Altari wasn't worried about any of that. All he was worried about was somehow getting off the train, and remembering what his brother said. Getting 'her' off the train. As soon as the man left their presence, Altari got up to go scout out the train. Katniss quietly followed him curiously. Altari came across a maintenance access hatch, of which he opened and slipped in quietly. She followed him before the door closed. He saw what looked like an emergency stop switch, but he didn't want to pull the switch because it would have to remain pulled to keep it stopped, and it would be obvious who did it. He did see the wires connecting the switch though. He found the grounding wire and was about to yank it out. "What are you doing?" Katniss finally said. "Getting us both out of here. This is the emergency stop switch, it will stop the train in its tracks, but pulling it would be obvious that one of us did it. So I'm just going to rewire it from the inside."

"Why would you risk your life for us, me? No one really even knows where you came from, or how you were able to take out sixteen government soldiers in one sitting." she said. "Because I feel that it's the right thing to do, I cant stand by while more innocent people are slaughtered, even though my entire clan was brutally wiped from existence a few days ago, I still remain. I am whats left of them, and if I die like they did, I want to die exactly like they did, fighting for what we believe in"

Altari was trembling and felt weak all of the sudden. "you are scared?" She asked him surprisingly. "Arent you? We are only human. Take away my skill with a blade and the blade itself, what remains? Just another person." "Yes…. I…." she began to break down and cry. "You are going to be ok. I promise. We just need to get out of here before we reach the Capitol. Alright?" He without thinking put his arms around her in effort to calm her down. "Alright… I guess, there's more of a chance to survive here, as opposed to not surviving in the arena.. pull the wire." He thought about it for a second and then quickly yanked the grounding wire out. The train started to shake violently and they were both thrown to the ground. "I think I hit a nerve" Altari said. "You think!?" she replied. At that moment they got up and went up the hatch.

They were under the assumption that the train was stopping. But as soon as they got out of the access hatch. They realized they were wrong. The train continued to violently shake until the whole structure flipped off the track. Altari fell out a nearby window, and was sent soaring ten yards away from the train, hitting the ground hard as the train was twisted and crumpled into an unrecognizable piece of metal.

When he woke up, he tried to get up too fast and was forced back down. "Jesus that hurts!" he said aloud. He slowly got up and stumbled towards the wreckage of the train. The car the two of them were in was still intact, so there was a chance that Katniss survived. It was night by now, and a lot of the train was consumed by fire. "if the fuel supply hadn't blown already, it could at anytime."

When he got to the wreckage, he fell into the crater the train car had caused in the crash, he violently fell down the side of the small hill and finally stopped at the bottom. The pain he was feeling wanted him to black out again, he had to resist somehow.

He fought the pain just long enough to get into the train car, and realize that she wasn't anywhere to be found. At that moment, he fell back and everything went dark.

Here he was, floating through time and space, within the confines of his own mind. He felt something hit his face, he felt it and realized that it was blood. He heard voices, of people yelling. In the same way the soldiers yelled. He felt a great pain in his arms as if he was being dragged by something. He saw a light, and started to move towards it. The voices were getting louder.

"Here's one of the tributes sir! We thought she died in the crash with the rest of them, but she's very resilient." "The hell?" Altari thought.

Then there was a picture in his mind, of himself, walking among the crowds that formed around buildings that towered above the clouds. Then, he saw a picture in his mind of her. It felt to him that she wasn't even there, as if she wasn't even alive.

When Altari woke up, he was cold. He heard the sound of tears hitting the ground, his own. To him it was no longer just about the clan, and breaking the governments death grip on the people. It was about her. He had only known her formally for a short time, yet she had become a part of him, ever since the destruction of the clan. His vision of the world consumed by fire, blood. The vision of her.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

He knew where he was heading. Into a brutal, yet political trap. The Capitol was the last place he ever wanted to see himself, but he knew that the government was probably scouring the scene for any clues about the crash, and the soldiers probably found her laying there. "They probably would have left here there if she was dead" He thought.

The sun shone brightly against the gleaming, crushed remains of the train. Altari shook his head at the immense irony of the situation. How the sunlight still made everything shine, even through all the pain and suffering that was taking place at this very moment. "Its good to see that something is trying to make our days brighter." He said looking up at the sun. In a way the sun was the ultimate example of irony, it is composed of something that is feared, and it is the reason we are here to fear things, but the gift of life wouldn't be possible without it. He was afraid of what awaited him at the Capitol, but he was even more afraid of what would happen to Katniss if he wasn't there to stop it.

He didn't realize how close they were to the Capitol when the train crashed, not until he walked alongside the magnetized track for about two hours. He knew he was on the outskirts of the Capitol when he saw the gleaming city in the distance.

He realized it would be way too obvious if he came in one of the main entrances that the tracks led to, so he tried to explore other options. He walked until he reached one of the titan like walls that surrounded the outer part of the city.

He knew that it wouldn't be easy, there was a catch of some sort. He knew what it was when a government drop ship appeared to deliver a squad of soldiers to his feet. "Not again…." He whispered under his breath. He didn't want to cause a scene, and without a weapon he stood no chance. They surrounded him. "On the ground! You are in violation of government law and are under arrest!" The peacekeeper barked at him.

"Yes sir!" Altari mockingly yelled. "That kind of attitude will get you tortured and executed, buddy." the soldier replied offensively. "Hands on your head! On your knees, now!" He did as they asked and got on his knees, but he was prepared for what he knew was coming next. "Here we go…" he whispered to himself, as if trying to save his own dignity from being stripped from him.

All of the sudden he felt something prick into his neck. "They're drugging me? I expected another hit to the head. I guess they at least want to act professional in front of their high class audience." He then felt all control leave his body, one of the soldiers shut his eyes. He couldn't open them or move a muscle. He couldn't feel anything either, but for some reason his hearing was still intact.

He had a feeling that they didn't drug him enough, and this he would use to his advantage. He was still able to think, which was strange. It was almost like being separated from his body for a time. He listened to the soldiers talk to each other like normal people would talk to each other.

He heard various things like, "How's the family?" and "Did you hear about the train crash? It was about four kilos away from the west wall. I'm not even kidding, the thing was totaled." they laughed about it, as if it was all an act, as if it was a laughing matter.

He heard the drop ships engine die down slowly, It was apparent to him that they had reached their destination. He heard the sound of his body being dragged on the floor, and of various automatic doors opening and closing. He heard the voices of several different people, all of which he did not recognize. He heard the sound of his body being dropped on the floor. "They must have dropped me somewhere to do some kind of intake processing" he thought. "never thought I'd end up in prison."

He listened carefully for almost thirty minutes. From what he gathered he was indeed being held in a prison facility of some kind. Then he finally heard something that caught his attention. "The girl from district twelve is in critical condition but she's stable sir, and we found this young man outside of the city walls." The soldiers statement was met with the reply from a deep compelling voice. "She is lucky to be alive, but I'm afraid this little outburst will be their last. Gather all of the tributes, we will make a public 'example' of them in the form of execution in two days. They won't want to be alive anyways, after I'm through with them." "Yes Mr. President, right away sir!" the soldier replied as if it were an honor.

"Son of a… that's the president? That cold blooded bastard… I… have to get out of here… somehow…" Altari wanted to have an emotional breakdown right there, and it made it worse knowing the drugs that were running through his bloodstream prohibited it. "It will have to wait…." he thought. "That 'inhuman monster', will have to wait…."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Inhuman" didn't even describe how Altari felt this, "President" should be described. He was the one responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocents. He wanted to end the life of the heartless, he deserved to suffer unimaginable torment. Altari hated himself for thinking this way, it wasn't right. Although it gave him a more open view, to things that would have never crossed his mind if he hadn't gone through all this. Human nature, and how the psychology of the mind we are given works. It never occurred to him how little the mind is used. Almost everything we do, we do without thinking. Survival is always the objective, whether you realize it or not. It is only dormant at times.

The neural sedative that they gave him must have started to wear off, because he started to feel again, he was cold, like his blood had stopped flowing all together. Over the course of an hour he was able to open his eyes, and eventually started gaining the strength back in his arms and legs.  
He was in a small room, that had a locked, glass sliding door. The glass was probably about a foot thick. He heard footsteps, they got closer until he finally saw who it was.

A tall, professional looking, older white haired man, stopped in front of the door. He looked for a while at Altari, and then the door slid open. "I almost didn't recognize you, with the scars on your face. That was quite a display you showed off at the District Twelve reaping. Very impressive. Many of my peacekeepers died because of you and your little friend." Altari's rage was fierce, he definitely recognized the voice of the man that was speaking to him. "I guess were even, your peacekeepers killed my brother." Altari said as calm and collected as he possibly could. "Well I know your name, Altari Raenur. So now I feel its only proper to tell you mine. I am President Snow, I am in charge of this Beautiful foundation of a country." "Well I kind of figured that out when I heard you talking about just executing the tributes, trying to make yourself feel better? After being outsmarted like that?" Altari said menacingly. "Oh, so you do know about the little party I've arranged? Well then, I suppose I will see you there." The president said with a twisted grin on his face. The president then left the room, and it was shut and locked again.

Altari's hope was wearing incredibly thin. He sat in the cell for a day, and that's when one of the peacekeepers opened to door. "This is it…" Altari thought "See you on the other side Aaron…." He was led out into the cell block's narrow hallway. He was in a line, of other people that were being held in the same block. Taking a closer look at the line he was in, he noticed how young everyone looked. He felt the fear in some, the resentment. He also felt some of them didn't display anything. They were empty beings. As if they no longer served a purpose in the body they were placed on this world with.

"The other tributes…" Altari thought. "I cant let them put us down like animals, without a fight that is…" He remembered the clan, and everyone that died with them. He remembered Aaron's dying words. "Keep them safe, with your life…" "Katniss… I'm sorry…" He thought to himself. He heard a soft voice behind him say something, "Don't be… I'm still here…" He knew who it was, and that she was in line behind him. What he couldn't figure out was how she could tell what he was thinking.

The sound of a door opening caught everyone's attention. The line started moving, and they were led through the seemingly endless facility they were in. The last door they went through was host to a blinding light. They were outside. They were marched through the Capitol City, while The entire world it seemed was watching. They were cheering and applauding.

They were led to what seemed like the center of the city. There were twenty four lit up pedestals at the center. "This is where we die… the whole world is watching like were just animals being slaughtered…"  
Each of them were led onto their designated pedestal, and a familiar voice erupted, this time only god like.

"Tributes, each one of you is a force for change. Your sacrifice today will be remembered forever, especially that of a young man that resides among you. Altari Raenur. You have finished your crusade to end the Hunger Games, in victory. It is no more. From this day forward, a boy and girl from each district will be gathered, and brought to this very place, to show your commitment and pledge to this country. In your own physical sacrifice."

The endless wave of people cheered. It was deafening, then it was drowned out in an instant. Time didn't exist for a moment. Altari looked at the crowd. "They are blind to their own ignorance…" He glanced over at the floating platform that the president was announcing from. He saw him, sitting there in his web of manipulation. Of control. Then, he saw blood, and he then fell off the platform into the crowd below.

Still looking up at the platform, he saw the outline of a hooded figure. He looked away for a second at the crowd, and looked back. The assailant was nowhere to be found. Disappearing into the darkness.  
The crowd was in chaos, and it seemed like they were starting to revolt. It was survival. The atmosphere changed so fast that it was hard to keep up. There were people tipping things over and breaking windows. There were peacekeepers killing citizens and citizens killing peacekeepers. The citizens were even killing each other. The tributes jumped off the pedestals and all ran in different directions.

Altari Just stood there watching the endless sea of death explode on itself. A man with a steel pipe was coming at him, ready to kill him. He was ready for the end, and he embraced his fate with open arms. But someone else decided to intervene with a rather large piece of broken concrete. Killing the attacker with a hit to the head.

He felt himself being pulled away by something, he struggled to keep his balance and almost fell several times. He was pulled out of the crowd and into a back alley. By the time he had realized who it was, she had put her arms around him and embraced him. She was crying. "I thought… I…" She couldn't even get out what she was trying to tell him. "I know… So did I…" They just stood there, holding each other amidst the chaos. "The crash… You fell out a window as it was happening… I thought for sure you were dead… everything that has happened, was caused by you… how? You changed the course of history… Whether you realize it or not… You changed it… For better I hope, either way were going to have a lot to deal with…" She said, as tears ran down her emotionally scarred face. "I don't even know how I'm still alive… I mean a week ago I didn't even exist to anyone, and things just happened…" Altari replied emotionally. "Why did you come looking for me? When you could have just left to save yourself?" she asked. "Ever since my clan was hunted down and slaughtered, I started to feel something. Within my mind, and within my spirit. When I first saw the entire camp being reduced to ashes, I couldn't stand the sight… I felt like it was a nightmare. Like I would wake up and everything would be ok… But instead I blacked out… and I started seeing things… my entire life coming together in a collage of mixed feelings and pictures… my mother… her death… my childhood friends… everyone in my life whether I knew them or not… was in this pool of emotion… and then I saw the outline of a young girl… the world was unkind and cruel to her… but she remained pure of heart and was ready to stand against the tyranny… then I felt like I was falling… and she was falling with me, only with the weight of the world… in an instant she disappeared from existence in a magnificent burst of fire and light… that's where It started… then at the reaping… I felt the same presence that I felt in my vision… it was tremendously stronger than it was before… I remember seeing you sacrifice yourself for someone you loved… how unkind and cruel the world was too you in that moment… and how your heart remained pure and relentless in its crusade against the heartless being that was the government… that's when I realized what happened, somehow your subconscious reached out to anyone and anything that could feel its presence. Almost like a subtle call for support, that you didn't even realize you were making. Somehow your subconscious reached out and touched mine. I don't know how… but we may be in gifted in someway, to where we can see things that others cant. Our paths crossed for a reason… and from that point, whatever destiny we have… we are supposed to face it together. That, being one reason I came for you. Another reason is that… I care… yes about all life… and ending the reign of darkness… but also… about you. You are like me… in a way that can never be fully explained. But you are a part of me… as am I with you…"

Before he could continue, an explosion in the street caught his attention. He turned to see what it was. But Katniss pulled him back, and kissed him. He returned it with the same degree of passion that she gave him. Nothing in that moment could have torn them apart. Even if they were physically torn apart. Their spirits would remain as close to each other as they were when they were physically there.  
Altari knew that this was the end. There was no hope to escape the blood crazed riot the Capitol had turned into. Katniss spoke softly "I agree with you… this is it… when we die, I want us to die exactly like we are now… fighting for what we believe in… but fighting together…"

A bright light was shined on the two of them. They were shocked to see a small government ship hovering above them, a metal ladder was extended down to them. A disguised voice spoke through a megaphone on the ship. "Is that your plan? Just sit there and die? If you intend to in anyway survive get on the ship now!" They looked at each other, and began to climb the ladder. When they got to the top, the hatch below them closed. They were now in the main airlock. It was pressurizing the room, and then the door to the inner part of the ship opened.

They both cautiously went through the door. "Why would the peacekeepers want to help anyone?" Katniss asked quietly. "They wouldn't" Altari responded. In the cockpit of the vessel, The man piloting the ship got up from the pilots chair. It was the hooded figure that killed the president. "Altari" the stranger spoke. "I know that voice…." Altari thought. The hooded assailant had a shroud covering his face, and a knife at his belt. "Oh, I forgot…" He then proceeded to take the mask off. Altari could not believe what he saw. "I think this belongs to you, brother" He tossed a hunting knife that looked like it definitely had been used, to Altari. "You crazy bastard…" the man said. "Aaron!? What… how? I… What the hell?" Altari was in shock, at the man he now saw standing before him. "You taught me well" Aaron said. "I didn't teach you how to feign death!" Altari said hysterically. "Sometimes, things just happen that you cant explain right away…" Aaron said.

Altari didn't recognize the person across from him. He wasn't the smart mouthed friend he had all his life. He wasn't his apprentice. He had survived against impossible odds, and it was he himself that changed the entire course of history. Altari Raenur and Aaron Veild, would be forever known as the mysterious young hooded figures that emerged from the shadows. To change history. To do what society told everyone not to. To save the blood of the innocent.

End of Part One


End file.
